DETROIT (AP) — Ryan Getzlaf’s good fortune got the Anaheim Ducks their first win of the season.
Getzlaf scored two goals, including the unassisted game-winner with 24 seconds left, to give the Ducks a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night.
“Just one of those plays where the puck turned up and I was able to take it to the net,” he said. ‘I closed my eyes and put it upstairs.”
Matt Beleskey also scored and Frederick Andersen stopped 27 shots for the Ducks. Anaheim opened the season with a 6-4 loss at Pittsburgh on Thursday night.
Gustav Nyquist and Luke Glendening scored for Detroit, and Jimmy Howard had 23 saves.
On the winning goal, Getzlaf skated out of a scrum with Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall in the corner and backhanded a shot past goalie Howard.
“Anyway you look at it, I can’t let that happen,” Kronwall said. “I can’t get beat like that.”
Coach Mike Babcock was animated after the game-winner and replays showed Getzlaf might’ve hooked Kronwall before getting free with the puck.
“The referees don’t try to make mistakes but they made a mistake there,” the coach said. “We should’ve been on the power play in overtime in the worst case.
“It’s just one of those things that happen. Over the year, we’re going to get a break.”
Beleskey saw the winning goal differently.
“That’s why he’s your captain,” he said of Getzlaf. “He’s there at the end of the game. Great goal.”
Nyquist scored less than two minutes into the third period to give the Red Wings a 2-1 lead but Beleskey answered shortly afterward when he knocked in Ryan Kesler’s backhand pass.
Getzlaf gave Anaheim the lead less than two minutes into the second period when he scored on a pass from Corey Perry, who knocked the puck back to his teammate after sliding in front of Howard.
Glendening scored his second career goal later in the period to tie the score and nearly sent the Red Wings to the second intermission with one-goal lead. He broke away down the left side of the ice but Andersen stopped his breakaway attempt seconds before the horn.
Detroit’s Justin Abdelkader missed a chance at the equalizer later in the period when Andersen stopped his short breakaway shot.
The Ducks outshot Detroit 9-5 in the first period and missed a great chance to take an early lead after Patrick Maroon’s power play shot nicked the right post and bounced away from an unaware Howard.
Anaheim’s John Gibson gave up all six goals in the opener and Andersen made his first start of the season. He made a strong case for more of them, especially after turning away several good Detroit chances in the third period.
Coach Bruce Boudreau wasn’t surprised by his performance.
“I expect that from him,” he said of Andersen. “He’s a good goalie.”
Corey Perry, who had a hat trick in Thursday’s loss, added an assist for the Ducks.
NOTES: Nyquist has scored in both games. He led the Red Wings last season with 28 goals. … Detroit C Pavel Datsyuk missed his second game with a separated right shoulder and Anaheim W Dany Heatley missed his second straight with a groin injury. … Kesler, who was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks for for forward Brian Bonino, D Lucas Spisa and a draft pick during the NHL Draft in June, is from the Detroit suburb of Livonia.
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